Ranking the 5 Best Opponents Robin Reid Faced During His Professional Career

Robin Reid was a model professional, as in he did some part-time modelling while also boxing for a living.

A tough competitor known for his good looks and granite chin, the Englishman had to fight hard for success during an eventful career that spanned nearly two decades.

Born on Feb. 19, 1971, Reid won a bronze medal for Great Britain at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

He joined the paid ranks the following year and went on to win the IBO, WBC and WBF titles at super middleweight.

Yet, for all his moments of success, he also had setbacks along the way.

Reid was robbed by a referee in Germany, while a change of promoters hampered his progress. He showed true warrior spirit in a battle with the unbeaten Joe Calzaghe, yet came out on the wrong end of the result.

Having initially retired in 2007, he made a comeback in 2011 before hanging up his gloves for good with a 42-8-1 (29 KOs) record. 

As the Grim Reaper turns 45 on Friday, Bleacher Report has picked out the top five opponents he faced.

You can have your say on the final list, or alternatively offer your thoughts on Reid's career, by using the comments section.

Reid fought plenty of world-class fighters, yet there was only space for five to make it onto the list.

Jeff Lacy was the unbeaten IBF champion when Reid flew to Tampa, Florida, to take on Left Hook in 2005.

The Englishman came a cropper on the night, but the aura of invincibility around Lacy was emphatically ended by Joe Calzaghe the following year.

A pair of Italians were involved in crucial moments in Reid's career.

He produced a stunning knockout to snatch the WBC title away from Vincenzo Nardiello in 1996, but he was beaten by Silvio Branco on points four years later at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

Brian Magee also deserves to be mentioned. The Northern Irishman held the IBO world title until Reid took the belt from him in 2004.

Henry Wharton may appear a surprise selection in the top five considering he never won a world title.

However, the Yorkshireman had only lost to two fighters before facing Reid—and they happened to be Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank.

Wharton had the misfortune to be around the British super middleweight scene when it was at its peak in the 1990s.

He was crowned British, Commonwealth and European champion, yet a world belt always eluded him, despite taking both Benn and Eubank the distance.

His third and final crack at a major belt came against Reid, who entered the ring at the Nynex Arena in Manchester, England, in 1997 as the WBC's reigning champion.

The Grim Reaper managed to cling onto his status thanks to a majority points decision, with two judges scoring it comfortably in Reid's favour (118-111 and 117-113). The other official's card had it 114-114.

Wharton had just two more fights before hanging up his gloves.

He later told Sky Sports: "This is the way I always sum it up against [Robin] Reid—he lost his last few fights, obviously he's retired now, against people who really couldn't have beaten him when he was in his prime. I was going to say to him 'you know when you fought me, Robin? It was pretty much like that for me'."

Sven Ottke is included on the list more for his record than his performances.

The German retired in 2004 having won all 34 of his fights as a professional. He should, however, have lost to Reid when the pair met in Dec. 2003.

Reid—who had won 10 on the spin since being beaten by Silvio Branco in 2000—found himself up against more than just the IBF and WBA Super champion in the ring on German soil.

Referee Roger Tilleman from Belgium certainly did the challenger few favours over the 12 rounds.

An obvious knockdown in Round 6 was ruled a slip, while Reid was deducted a point for an apparent headbutt. Left feeling deflated and disappointed, the Englishman gave up trying in the closing stages.

How bad was the officiating? Well, Doug Fischer of The Ring magazine ranked Tilleman's performance second on their 2011 list of the worst refereed boxing matches in the last 10 years.

Ottke won by scores of 115-113 (twice) and 117-112 on the cards.

Reid said afterwards, per Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News: "You don't expect any favours fighting in Germany but at least Dick Turpin wore a mask when he robbed people."

Still, the Phantom—who also recorded wins over Branco, Glen Johnson and Anthony Mundine—merits selection for (somehow) remaining perfect in the paid ranks.

Thulani "Sugar Boy" Malinga had a rocky relationship with the WBC super middleweight belt.

The South African won the title from Nigel Benn in March 1996—only to then lose it in his first defence, against Vincenzo Nardiello, three months later.

However, when given the chance to face Reid, who had become champion by knocking out Nardiello in Italy, Malinga used his boxing brain to claim back his old title with a unanimous points win.

Reid's plight was not helped by a busy schedule and illness, as he told Spud Woollatt of DoghouseBoxing.com in 2005.

After reaching the summit, the Grim Reaper had already had three fights in 1997 before going up against Malinga in December of the same year when struggling with flu.

Glyn Leach wrote in the Independent: "The possibility always existed that this latest defence, against an experienced and cagey former champion, who had, in March 1996, ended the title reign of Nigel Benn, might have come too early for a 26-year-old who had appeared to have become jaded overnight. Such was the case."

Malinga (44-13, 19 KOs) again proved unable to hang onto the gold for too long. Having taken it from one Englishman, he quickly surrendered it to another, as he was beaten on points by Richie Woodhall in his first defence.

Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) was still on the rise when he took on Reid in his hometown of Nottingham, England, in Nov. 2007.

The Cobra agreed to put his British title on the line against an experienced former world champion as he made his return after knee surgery, per BBC Sport.

Froch had actually been chasing a fight with another Brit—Joe Calzaghe—but ended up facing an opponent who came into the bout off the back of just one outing in the previous 27 months.

Considering the different trajectories their careers were on, it was no surprise to see the younger, fresher champion dominate.

Reid was knocked down three times in total before retiring on his stool after Round 5.

Per Gareth A Davies of the Telegraph, the beaten challenger announced his retirement in the immediate aftermath, only to make a comeback early in 2011.

As for Froch, he ended up holding the WBA, WBC and IBF belts at one stage or another in his career, and he retired a champion after knocking out George Groves at Wembley Stadium in London.

He later told Tom Gray of The Ring magazine (WARNING: Linked article contains language NSFW) how Reid had been the best puncher he faced in the pros, adding: "He hurt me the most with a single shot."

While Carl Froch had a fantastic career, it is hard to make a case to deny Joe Calzaghe from owning top spot on this list. 

The Welshman hung up his gloves with a 46-0 (32 KOs) record. He was a world champion at super middleweight for over 11 years, having initially claimed the WBC title in 1997 by out-pointing a past-his-prime Chris Eubank.

However, the Pride of Wales had one of his toughest nights when he took on Reid in Newcastle, England, in Feb. 1999.

The challenger's right hand caused Calzaghe problems. Don Steinberg of ESPN.com recalled how "the muscular Reid landed the highlight-reel shots, all rights to Calzaghe's face, including one that rocked Calzaghe's head to end Round 9."

While outworked for plenty of rounds, Reid's eye-catching punches were enough for one judge to award him the bout by a score of 116-111, even though he had been deducted a point for a low blow.

However, the other two officials had Calzaghe winning by the same margin. He retained his belt, but few made him work harder during his life as a pro.

Reid was adamant he had done enough to win on the night, and the disappointment lingered long after he had retired.

In 2015, he told John Gibson of the Chronicle: "The more I’ve looked at tapes of the fight the more convinced I am. I won by at least two rounds and that includes the point deducted for a low blow."